In a few days, the mystery of “Cloverfield” will be cracked. After months of buzz-producing trailers, viral campaigns and Web chatter, the movie will finally unveil its central attraction: a shrouded-in-mystery monster so humongous its fleas are the size of dogs.
For now, though, star Mike Vogel is adhering strictly to the tenets of his confidentiality agreement. The Abington, Pa.-born, Warmister, Pa.-raised plumber’s son is keeping his lips sealed about the true nature of the beast.
Asked whether the giant ogre is an Asian robot or a swampy thing, Vogel laughs and says, “All I can say is that the movie is a comedy/drama/romance/horror film/thriller/mystery. Is that vague enough for you?”
Secrecy is the name of the game when it comes to “Cloverfield.” The brainchild of J.J. Abrams (TV’s “Lost” and the upcoming “Star Trek”), the movie first began tickling the imagination of movie-goers when a trailer unreeled before “Transformers.”
Unlike most advance spots, the “Cloverfield” previews withheld vital info about the rampaging creature who decapitates the Statute of Liberty, and, with a flick of its tale, takes down the Brooklyn Bridge.
“What’s cool about the monster is that it isn’t Godzilla or a knock-off of Godzilla,” says Vogel. “J.J. has created a monster for our generation, for the techies and YouTubers.”
Vogel plays one of a handful of twentysomethings (Michael Stahl-David, Odette Yustman, Lizzy Caplan, Jessica Lucas, T.J. Miller) partying the night away when the monster arrives in Manhattan with a case of the munchies. As befits the first creature feature made for the MySpace crowd, “Cloverfield” unreels from the sole perspective of a character’s camcorder.
At 28, Vogel is the oldest and most experienced of the movie’s cast members. With upcoming roles in the horror flick “Open Graves” with Eliza Dushku and “Ye Olde Times” with Jack Black, he’s being touted as a matinee idol in the making.
Vogel, on the phone from his home in California, is friendly and relaxed when he calls to chat about the film. After excusing himself for a few seconds to kiss his wife and one-year-old daughter goodbye, the actor gets back on the line to talk tacos, “Star Trek” and hitting the big time.
Weekender: You’re one of the few people on the planet who knows the secrets of “Cloverfield.” Have you been besieged with fans trying to get info out of you? Vogel: Oh, yeah. It’s been fun. I think my agents are more psyched about the film that I am. They’re always asking me questions about it. I think it all stems back to J.J. and the mystery he’s been able to create around “Lost.” He builds secret clues into that show so members of the Internet generation can go on these wild goose chases through cyberspace. People tear “Lost” episodes apart frame by frame. And, now, people have been doing the same thing with “Cloverfield” trailers.
Weekender: So, to what extremes did the whole secrecy thing go?
Vogel: The audition was so shrouded in mystery; I was convinced I was going in for a porn film. When we auditioned, we weren’t given pages from the script. We auditioned with old scripts from “Alias.” We shot the trailer before we even read the script. We didn’t get the actual screenplay until five days before filming began.
Weekender: Did you ever say to J.J., “Why all the secrets”?
Vogel: I did. He said it was interesting to him, in a world where information is so readily available and you can find out the plot of any movie with the click of a mouse, to try and turn back the clock 10-15 years before the Internet existed. He wanted to see what happened when all of that advance info was pulled away. Just by doing that, he created a feeding frenzy.
Weekender: Some people are saying it’s too soon after 9/11 to crush the Big Apple. Any thoughts on that?
Vogel: I don’t agree. The movie has nothing to do with terrorism. It’s more about movie-making than anything else. “Cloverfield” takes you on a ride for 90 minutes and distracts you from your troubles. I’d say it’s healthy inebriation.
Weekender: Before “Cloverfield,” DreamWorks is unreeling a trailer for J.J.’s update of “Star Trek.” For a while you were mentioned as a front-runner for Captain Kirk. How disappointed were you when Chris Pine got the gig?
Vogel: We all mulled it over and talked about it. But, onscreen, I look like a baby. And I agreed with J.J. that, at the end of the day, no one would have bought me as commander of the Starship Enterprise. Chris Pine is a great guy and plays older than I do. I also realized that once you play Capt. Kirk, you’re Capt. Kirk for the rest of your life. So I was okay with moving on to other things.
Weekender: Speaking of others things. You’ve got a horror movie called “Open Graves” coming up and you’re starring with Jack Black in “Ye Olde Times.” Do you feel like you’re on the cusp of the big time?
Vogel: Before “Texas Chainsaw Massacre” came out, everyone was going, “Buckle up, Mike. Life’s about to change.” And then it didn’t. After I made “Poseidon,” which was this huge, $200 million movie, I was walking around my backyard thinking, “I’m going to have to raise this fence because paparazzi will be around constantly snapping my picture.” And then the movie [bombed]. If [stardom] happens, that will be awesome. But, really, all I want to do is keep doing what I love.
Weekender: Sounds like you don’t take this business too seriously?
Vogel: I take work seriously, but I don’t take myself seriously. I have a hard time seeing myself as anyone but a kid from Warminster, which is what I am. I get up and do a job the same way my dad does his plumbing jobs.
Weekender: As this month’s Men’s Health cover boy, you talk about eating healthy. Any guilty pleasures when it comes to food?
Vogel: When I was younger, I had such a high metabolism I could eat a 20-pack of tacos at Taco Bell. My friends thought it was hilarious. But when I turned 26, I hit a wall. The wifey started cooking healthier meals and things changed. But I’m still a sucker for a good burger and fries. And when I get home to Philly, I average about two cheesesteaks a day.
Weekender: Have you ever achieved anything physically that surprised even you?
Vogel: On New Year’s Day, I did this cycling event for 82 miles. My neighbor, who’s an ex-professional cyclist, said, “We’ll go up this mountain, and you’ll be home by noon. It’s nothing.” Well, I left at 8:15 in the morning and didn’t get home until 2 in the afternoon. We did 82 miles. I came home limping. It killed me for days.
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